


We Were Not Born to Fade

by menshouldbelikekleenex



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Leon is a flirt, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, They're both awkward dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-12 18:31:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21480919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/menshouldbelikekleenex/pseuds/menshouldbelikekleenex
Summary: When Gray Cypress was sent to the Galar region on behalf of Professor Oak, she wasn't expecting to meet so many great people. If only they knew what she did; if only she hadn't been sworn to secrecy.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Original Character
Comments: 30
Kudos: 192





	1. The Undefeated Champion of Kanto

**Author's Note:**

> Gray Cypress is modeled after the female player character from Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. The only difference is that she is obviously older (18) and she is wearing blue jeans instead of shorts.
> 
> I imagine Leon to be around 21 in game, and so that's what I'm going with in this as well.

Hop was in trouble. The onix that was staring him down was way too strong for him to catch and it had already knocked out most of his team. He could see the entrance to Motostoke not too far away, but he doubted he could get away from the giant pokemon and make it to the stairs. He continued to back up as the Onix slithered closer, the rocks of its body grinding together in a foreboding and unpleasant manner. 

Just as Hop closed his eyes and accepted that his great adventure was ending before it even started, he heard the pounding of heavy feet on the ground. He opened his eyes when he did not feel himself get crushed by rocks. 

His eyes widened at the sight before him. The Onix was now the one retreating. Between him and the rock pokemon was a young woman sitting atop a large arcanine. The pokemon’s mouth was open in a snarl as a low growl escaped it—the girl didn’t move, but Hop could tell from her tense shoulders that she was prepared for battle. 

But it never came. The onix gave the fearsome dog one last look before slowly turning and leaving the two behind. There was a few seconds of tense silence as the girl watched it retreat as if to ensure that it wouldn’t double back. 

Finally, she jumped off of her pokemon and walked over to the awestruck boy. 

“You alright?” Her voice was quiet, but held a note of authority as she gave him a kind smile. When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “Those things can be quite annoying when you’re just starting out!” 

“Yeah!” Hop said, finally snapping back to reality. “To both things!” 

She let out a slight laugh. Her arcanine trotted to her side and nuzzled her. She almost disappeared into the fluffy fur, but she never broke eye contact with the young trainer. 

“I’m Gray, by the way. What’s your name?” she asked. 

“I’m Hop! And thanks for saving my skin, Miss Gray!” Hop gave her a wide smile. 

“Please, just Gray,” she said. Hop was grateful when she turned away to look at arcanine after she said that so that she didn’t see the slight blush that covered his face. “And it’s not a problem. I could’ve used some help like that when I started my pokemon journey, so it’s the least I could do in return.” 

“Say, Gray, you’re not from Galar, are you?” Hop asked. “You got a funny accent.” 

“Is it that noticeable?” she said with a giggle. “I’m from Kanto!” 

Before Hop could answer, Gray suddenly yelped She pulled out her phone and looked at it for a moment. “Shoot, I’m actually running late! I told my friends I’d meet them at noon!” 

She turned to him. “You can make it to the city by yourself, right? It’s not too far.”

Hop nodded. “Yeah! And I’ll be sure to avoid the tall grass,” he said with a laugh. 

She smiled and nodded. “Great! Stay safe, Hop!” 

And with that, she climbed on her arcanine and raced away toward Motostoke. 

* * *

Leon watched his younger brother excitedly tell him about the trainer who helped, a small smile on his face. He was grateful that nothing happened to Hop, but he also found it amusing how much this young woman seemed to enthrall him. If Leon didn’t know any know any better, he’d say Hop had a small crush. 

“She was pretty cool, Lee! Almost as cool as you!” 

“She sure sounds like it, Hop!” 

Victor and Sonia stayed mostly quiet through the exchange, but the younger trainer grinned at his friends enthusiasm. 

“Hey, Hop!” a voice called out. “Glad to see ya made it!” 

The small group turned to see a young woman with brown hair making her way over to them. A large arcanine—and he meant large even for an arcanine—walked protectively by her right side. On either side of her, trailing slightly behind, were two men. One had dark black hair, piercing brown eyes, and a pikachu resting on his shoulder. He seemed rather uninterested in the things around him. The other had light brown hair. He had his hands shoved into his pockets.

Leon raised an eyebrow. He recognized the trio instantly, and he was rather surprised that Hop didn’t seem to.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!” Hop responded. He then paused, and examined the group closer. “Wait a minute! You’re Gray Cypress!”

“That’s me!” she said. When she smiled, her eyes closed and she tilted her head to the side. Leon noted that she seemed almost too…innocent?....to be the feared Champion of Kanto.

“Whoa, Hop, you didn’t mention you were rescued by one of the members of the Pallet Town Trio!” Victor exclaimed. That was probably the most words he’s heard Victor say since he met him. 

“I haven’t heard ‘Pallet Town Trio’ in ages,” the man with light brown hair mumbled. 

“I didn’t realize it!” Hop said, either not hearing or not caring about the man’s response. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh! Gray, this is my friend and rival, Victor. This is Sonia—she’s Professor Magnolia’s granddaughter. And this is my brother, Leon! He’s the undefeated Champion of the Galar region!” 

Gray smiled at all of them and gave a wave. “Hi! I’m Gray Cypress. I’m the current Champion of Kanto.” She jabbed her thumb behind her, pointing at the man with dark hair. “That’s Red Ketchum, a member of the Kanto Elite Four.” She swung her arm around to the other man. “And that’s Blue Oak, the gym leader of Viridian City.”

The two men briefly acknowledge the other people, but didn’t say much. Leon guessed that Gray was the more outgoing of the group, which fits in with the stories he’s heard about them. They were rather famous, even outside of their home region. The news about them, specifically Gray, taking down a villain organization at such a young age spread quite quickly. Then, the three of them made it to the champion fight within hours of each other. It was quite the spectacle, even though the Kanto league is not as much of a spectator event as the Galar equivalent. He knew that was a few years older than them, but he admitted that he found the three of them to be an inspiration in his early years as champion. 

“Are you three here to see the Gym Challenge?” Leon asked. 

“Yeah,” Blue said. “But my gramps also told us to meet up with Professor Magnolia about something”

“‘Gramps?’” Sonia inquired with a tilt of her head. 

“Professor Oak!” Gray answered. “Blue is his grandson.” 

“Do you know what he wants you to talk about?” Sonia asked. 

The three of them looked at each other. Red’s expression hardly changed but Gray pursed her lips and Blue frowned slightly. Finally, Gray let out a long breath and turned to them.

“The Professor didn’t say,” she finally said. 

She still looked a bit uneasy, but gave them a smile. 

There was a bit of silence before Leon decided to break it. “Well, the Opening Ceremony is rapidly approaching. These young trainers and I must go get ready for the big event. It was a pleasure to meet you all.” 

The three of them seemed to break out of whatever came over them at the Champion’s cheerful words. 

Gray gave him a wide grin and stuck her hand out to him. Leon accepted it, noting how soft her skin is, which is contrary to any experienced trainer he knows. Her hand was also rather small in his, easily dwarfed by his tanned skin. 

“Maybe one day we can have an unofficial battle, Leon—champion against champion.”


	2. Travel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did some major soul-searching instead of doing literally any of my papers and came to the conclusion that I did not like the second two chapters of this story nor the direction I was taking it. Disregard that stuff. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the new chapter two. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who gave kudos and extra special thanks to those who commented. I appreciate it!

Gray was surprised at how…theatrical the Galar League was. The stadium was probably bigger than the entirely of the Indigo Plateau. All of the title matches she has participated in have been private, with no one in the room but her, her opponent, and a League official. 

This event was public. Every gym, every battle, every victory, every failure was broadcasted for the world to see. And she didn’t know how she felt about that. But she certainly felt the thrill of the crowd and she admitted that it was infectious. All of the challengers walked onto the field, eyes staring confidently ahead. 

That was another thing that bothered her. It was concerning that they only allowed people with sponsorships to participate in the gyms. Pokemon battles were supposed to be for everyone, not blocked off behind a wall. But this wasn’t her region. It wasn’t her culture. No one in Galar seems bothered with it, so she supposed it was fine. 

She managed to pick out Hop and Victor in the group of challengers. She elbowed Blue and pointed them out, but he didn’t seem to care. Pouting, she turned back to watching the event. 

The crowd grew quiet when Leon was announced. The Galar League was kind enough to provide the three of them with VIP seating so she could clearly make out the large grin on the man’s face as he entered the field. He waved and struck a pose, causing Gray to giggle to herself. The trainers here seemed very over the top. The closet she could think of was Koga, but even he didn’t go around wearing a cape every day. 

Due to how close they were seated, Leon caught her eye and gave her a wink. She merely smiled and waved in return.

* * *

When it came time to exit the stadium, the three of them decided to wait until the crowd had mostly cleared out to avoid being recognized in the middle of a bunch of people, unable to move.

As they walked—Blue had his face buried in his phone and Red was practically ignoring everyone—toward the exit to the outside, someone called out Gray’s name.

She turned to see Hop running toward her, with Victor, Sonia, and Leon all trailing behind. Leon, of course, was taking pictures and signing autographs so he was further back than any of the others. 

“Hey! You looked great out on the field, Hop! I’m sure you’ll do great on in the Gym Challenge!” Gray said once the young man came to a stop in front of her. 

He blushed and turned his head, mumbling something under his breath. 

“You too, Victor!” she said once the other, quieter young man stopped next to Hop. “Are you guys off to the first gym?” 

“You bet!” Hop said, breaking out of his stupor. “I’m going to take down Milo, no problem!”

“Are you three going to watch each of the matches?” Sonia asked. 

Blue shook his head, finally looking up from his phone. “Nah, we have to go meet Professor Magnolia. Gramps said she’s expecting us today, apparently.”

“Apparently?” Sonia asked.

“That means he didn’t read the Professor’s email and just found out,” Red said, though he still wasn’t exactly paying attention. 

“Not my fault the geezer likes to send me essays.” 

“Oh, well I can show you the way back, if you want? The trains can be a bit confusing,” Sonia said. 

“I can come as well!” Leon said with a grin. Then his grin turned sheepish. “I forgot something at home, so I’m heading that way anyway." 

“Sounds great!” Gray exclaimed. “I’d love the extra company, especially since these two losers don’t want to talk right now!”

Blue shouted, “Hey!” at the same time Red shrugged and said, “That’s fair.” 

* * *

Leon was starting to think that he might have to break up a fight as he watched the three Kanto trainers in across from him. He was sitting next to Sonia on the train, and since the seats were really only meant to hold two people, Gray was squished between the two larger men on either side of her. 

Red was pretty much oblivious, just staring out the window, not really taking up any more space than necessary. Blue, however, was practically sprawled out, his arm on the seat behind a fuming Gray. She had her arms crossed over her chest, pouting and occasionally huffing. Neither him nor Sonia really knew what to do with the situation, so they mostly stayed quiet, but it was clear Gray was about to throw something, either her phone or her fists, at Blue. 

“Blue if you don’t move your big, fat head in the next five sec—” Gray started.

Blue cut her off by scooping her up and placing her in his lap, eliminating the space issue. Gray pouted.

“You planned that.” 

“Of course,” Blue answered, nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t weird to have her in his lap. “You’re warm and I was cold.”

Gray huffed and looked away pointedly, her gaze zeroing in on Leon, who was now directly across from her. 

“Leon, you said you forgot something at home—do you live in the same town as the professor?” 

She was obviously just trying to change the subject, but Leon was happy to oblige, a little confused by her being seated on her friend’s lap. 

“No, I live in a small town not too far away,” Leon answered. “People are always shocked when they hear I’m from Wedgehurst since it’s such a small town.” 

“That’s how it was when we first started out,” Blue said. He leaned a bit to look at Leon from around Gray’s head. “Practically no one goes to Pallet Town. It doesn’t even have a gym.” 

“It’s gotten a bit more traffic, though,” Gray answered. “Not much, but still.”

“Yeah, Wedgehurst doesn’t have a gym either, but from the way our League is set up, we would only get seasonal visitors if it did have a gym,” Leon said.

“Oh right!” Sonia exclaimed. “You’re League runs year ‘round!”

“Sure does!” Gray said with a grin. “And since Johto and Kanto share an Elite Four and Champion battle, the Indigo Plateau gets quite a bit of traffic!” 

“Wait,” Leon interjected. “Does that mean you’re the Champion of Kanto _ and _Johto?” 

_ That would be pretty cool _, he thought, suddenly thinking about how strong a trainer must be to take down the best trainers from two different regions on a continual basis. 

But Gray shook her head. “Technically, I’m only considered the Champion of Kanto since that’s where I collected my eight gym badges from. Had I also collected the Johto badges, I would be considered the Champion of both regions.” 

“That’s still pretty impressive, though,” Leon said, leaning forward excitedly. 

“Yeah, yeah, Gray is fantastic,” Blue muttered, turning his head to glare at his reflection past Red. 

“You’re just mad you’re only a gym leader,” Gray laughed, turning slightly in his lap to sticking her tongue out at him.

Blue was just about to retort when the train jerked to a stop, signaling they had reached their destination. 

“Well,” Red said, his first words since boarding the train. “It’s time to see Professor Magnolia.”

  
  



	3. The Secrets We Keep

When Leon returned to Professor Magnolia’s house from Wedgehurst, he found only Sonia in the main part of the lab, her ear pressed up against a door. She looked back when she heard the door open and hurriedly put a single finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. Leon raised an eyebrow but obliged, moving to sit at the table not too far from her. After a minute or two, Sonia let out a huff and sat across the table from her childhood friend. 

“They’ve been in there forever, and I can’t hear a single word they’re saying!” Sonia pouted and crossed her arms, staring longingly at the door. “I’m so curious…Professor Oak is one of the most famous Pokemon researchers in the world! He created the Pokedex! Why would he send some of the most prolific trainers from his region to talk to gran?”

Leon blinked a few times, staring at Sonia for a few seconds. He knew all of that...why was she stating facts they both know? 

When the door opened, Sonia jumped up, her yamper running forward to run around the feet of Blue as he exited the room, speaking on the phone quietly. He shut the door behind him, staring down at the dog pokemon for a few seconds before scritching its head before nodding at the two at the table and walked out the door. Sonia sagged down and collapsed back into her seat, causing Leon to laugh.

After a few minutes, the door opened again, but this time, all that came out was Gray’s arcanine. Leon saw Gray for a few seconds as she let her pokemon out of the room—she gave him a wave and smile before shutting the door. 

The arcanine padded over to Sonia and Leon and curled up at the Champion’s feet. He grinned and ran his fingers through the warm, soft fur. Sonia groaned and threw her arm over her face. 

* * *

It was another thirty minutes before the four (Blue having returned after his phone call ended) exited the room. The arcanine at Leon’s feet jumped up and trotted over to his trainer, rubbing his head over her cheek in greeting. She patted his cheek lovingly before continuing to talk to Professor Magnolia in a hushed voice. 

“I can’t stay that long,” Blue said in response to whatever the Professor and Gray said. “The League is already asking me to cut my _ planned _vacation short. ‘There’s too many challengers,’ they said. “‘They’re starting to back,’ they said.” 

“You already took the days off,” Gray said with an eye roll. “You’re here for at least two weeks.” 

“That should be enough,” Professor Magnolia said. 

“Great!” Gray cheered. She looked at her phone her a few moments. “We can probably catch the second gym, too! I’m excited to see the trainers here!” 

Red nodded in agreement. His pikachu—who still seemed a bit peeved about not being allowed on his trainer’s shoulder on the train—squeaked out in excitement with his trainer. 

“We can catch the next train if we leave now,” Sonia chimed in, practically vibrating in her seat with curiosity as none of the conversation they heard answered any of her questions. 

Blue and Red agreed, but Gray rubbed the back of her neck. 

“I think I’m going to walk,” Gray said. “I want to check out the pokemon here—my last trek into the Wild Area wasn’t a long as I would have liked. I’m sure I can get to uh... ” She check her phone. “Hulbury! I can get to Hulbury to see the next challenge!” 

Leon grinned and ran his fingers across the brim of his hat, before pointing at Gray. “I can go with you, Gray! It’ll be helpful to have someone from Galar to show you the way!” 

“Leon, you suck at directions,” Sonia deadpanned. 

“Ok, fine,” Leon agreed, his smile never faltering. “Chairman Rose has been pestering me nonstop for the past few days, and he can’t bother me if I disappear into the wilderness for a while!”

“Yeah!” Gray pumped her fist in the air. “Evading responsibilities is fun!” 

* * *

Leon let out his Charizard as soon as he and Gray reached the Wild Area. Gray also let out her arcanine (the train was not fond of pokemon being out of pokeballs). Leon found himself curious about what the rest of her team is. Since the Kanto battles aren’t televised—and he didn’t necessarily have time to watch other region’s battles—the only pokemon of hers he’s seen in her arcanine. 

She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to look at him. Her head tilted to the side. “Something wrong?” 

Leon blinked a few times, before shaking his head. “I was just wondering about your team,” Leon answered honestly. “I’ve only seen your arcanine.” 

“And I’ve only seen your Charizard,” was all she said as she laughed. “I don’t like to reveal my team to potential challengers.”

“I’m a potential challenger?” Leon asked. 

She gave him a grin. “I did say that we should have an unofficial battle some day.” 

Leon smiled at her. “Well, I hope you’re prepared to lose.” 

“You wish.” 

There was silence for a while as she looked around, taking in the pokemon around her. Most of them were not interested in the two of them, intimidated by the strong fire-types at their sides. 

“So…” Leon drawled as they walked side by side. “What were you talking about with Professor Magnolia?” 

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Gray glance up at him. She pursed her lips slightly before looking up at the sky. 

“I’m really not supposed to tell people,” she said quietly. “I don’t necessarily like keeping secrets, but I promised I wouldn’t tell.” 

He turned to look at her. For a second, she looked like a child, a forlorn look in her eyes as she gazed at the sun making its way ever closer to the horizon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and looked up at the much taller man beside her. 

“I’m sure you’ll find out eventually,” she said with an assured nod. She looked back at the skyline. “Everyone will.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented and given kudos!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!


	4. Two Idiots in the Wild

Gray and Leon had been walking for about twenty minutes, talking about various topics and slowly getting to know each other. She was mostly content to just watch the pokemon stroll by and occasionally pet one’s head as she walked by, her arcanine scanning each and every one for a potential threat to his trainer. 

As they walked through a particular patch of small grass, both her and her pokemon failed to notice the small apple rolling towards her. Leon managed to see it just as it rolled into her leg, causing her to jump slightly. She looked down at the apple as it rolled back and hit her again. 

“Leon. Why is this apple attacking me?” she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Or...how?”

“It’s a pokemon,” he laughed. “It’s a grass-dragon named applin.” 

“Oh, gotcha…” 

She looked down as it continued to roll into her leg, occasionally chittering angrily at the woman. After a few more headbutts, her arcanine growled out a low warning. The applin, its eyes popping up to stare at the large pokemon, seemed to shake with fear and rolled to hide behind Gray’s leg. 

“Aww! Arcanine, don’t be mean!” Gray said, pushing his snout away from the trembling dragon. 

In response, applin rolled back and slammed into Gray’s leg twice as hard as it did before. She gasped and grabbed her calf, jumping on one leg while the pokemon chittered below her. Leon watched on with a huge grin on his face, cheering for the applin, but steadied Gray as she almost fell. Charizard seemingly chuckled from behind his trainer.

* * *

Leon watched Gray with growing amusement as she carefully scaled the berry tree for some fruit. The applin was sitting on her head, making it extra difficult to climb. He found himself enjoying her company and his time off. His charizard, bored of the travel, was now in his pokeball, but he wasn’t willing to follow suit and head back to the city. It wasn’t very often that he got to leave his duties as champion behind and just have fun. Apparently, despite also being a champion, Gray never lost her desire to goof off. 

Leon was shocked out of his thoughts by a loud thump in front of him. He blinked as he stared at Gray, spread out as if making a snow angel, staring up at him is disgruntled silence. Applin, who was not happy that Gray had dropped her, once again began rolling into her, this time hitting her in the side. Arcanine gently poked her side with his nose and she ran a soothing hand over it, reassuring the pokemon she was fine. 

“I fell.” 

“I can see that.” 

“You’re turn.”

“To fall?” 

“No–” 

Before Gray could finish, Leon flopped to the ground next to her. 

* * *

They were near the Watchtower Ruins because Gray said they looked cool and reminded her of the Pokemon Tower back in Kanto. She was walking ahead of him, humming quietly to herself and looking around happily. She didn’t seem to notice the red beam of light that came from her hip or the Gengar that grinned mischievously from behind her before disappearing.

“So you have a Gengar,” Leon said with a grin, glad that he was getting intel on her team. That meant his dragapult would be super-effective against one of her pokemon (but it would also be super-effective against his dragapult as well).

She looked back at him, alarmed. “How’d you know that?” 

Leon pointed in front of him, at the gengar that was coming in and out of view up ahead. Her eyes widened as she let out a shrill noise. 

“You promised you wouldn’t do this anymore!” she whined, stomping over to her pokemon. 

Just as she approached the purple ghost a huge dusknoir appeared before her, its arms outstretched. Gray let out a ear-piercing shriek and bolted. Leon had never seen anymore move that fast really. Almost instantaneously, she passed Leon, the tiny appling clutched in her arms, heading back towards the sunnier areas of the Wild Area. Her gengar snickered as she floated passed him, but was seemingly scolded by her arcanine. 

Leon just wondered why she didn’t fight it.

* * *

“I think we’re lost.” 

“Leon, you can see Motostoke from here.”

* * *

“So there’s a pokemon in here?” Gray asked, sticking her head into a glowing den. 

Leon grabbed her hips as she almost slid in, pulling her back and setting her onto her feet and patting her head—and then patting the applin that crawled back on her head as soon as she was standing straight again. 

“Yeah, but you don’t go in there! The pokemon is going to dynamax! If you spook it in the den, it’ll collapse,” Leon explained. At her blank stare, he added, “Do you know what dynamaxing is?” 

“The pokemon gets big,” she answered with a serious nod. 

Leon nodded back, equally serious. “Very big.” 

* * *

“Say, Leon…” Gray mumbled, her face serious. Leon hummed to show he was listening. “How do you do that pose thing you do?” 

Leon blinked at the question, before he lapsed into his champion-slash-teacher mode. “Let me see what you got!” 

Gray put her arm in front of her body before trying her best to strike the Charizard Pose. It was close, but she was slightly off-balance and her arm wasn't straight enough. 

“Close!” Leon cheered. He then struck the pose for her to watch. She nodded as she watched and then copied him. “Better!”

* * *

Gray shivered. She hadn’t expected the weather to fluctuate so quickly in Galar. One minute it was mild, now it was freezing and snowing and she was not prepared and was not having a good time. 

Leon smiled sympathetically, and shrugged off his cape. “Here, this will keep you warm!” 

He plunked it on her shoulders, and blinked as she stumbled forward, losing her footing mid stride. 

“Oh my god, Leon! How do you stand straight with this thing!” she yelled. “It weighs like a thousand pounds!” 

“With these!” he supplied, happily grinning and flexing his biceps. He looked off to the side, completing the sullen, yet handsome aura he had mastered to impress his many fans.

When he got no response, he looked back to see Gray had fallen over, his cape crushing her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I captured Leon's major himbo energy. Gray can be serious when she needs to be, but she also loves to goof off (which I hope came across in previous chapters), so I figured some short vignettes about them traveling would be fun as they're both a little stupid. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a kudos or a comment if you did! Really makes my day!


	5. Some Inner Musings

Eventually, once Gray recovered from her near death experience at the hands of Leon’s cape, they decided to just call a flying taxi. They were already quite late for the second gym battles, and from the messages she’s received from Red, they missed Victor and Hop. 

Leon and Gray talked throughout the trip to Hulbury, excitedly talking about their lives and they’re time as champion. It was refreshing, she thought, to talk to someone who knew the unique struggles and pressures that came with being the champion of a region. She couldn’t really talk with Red or Blue about it because they both had only been champion for only a short while before she started her reign, but also because Blue became huffy when it came to her bringing up his defeat. Though she wasn’t even the one who dethroned him—Red did that. She just beat Red after that. 

Leon was also found it… almost freeing to talk about how much he struggled to keep up his persona. While most of it was real, there were times when he didn’t want to put on a smile and act like he was some unflappable man, that nothing rattled him. It was nice to talk with someone who often, as Gray put it, felt the desire to forget she was the undefeated champion, the face of her region, and just be Gray Cypress, the girl. 

Eventually they arrived at their destination and exited the taxi. Gray looked around before grinning. Her arcanine popped out of his pokeball almost as soon as her feet touched the ground, taking its customary place by her side. 

“Wow, this place reminds me of Vermillion City,” she said. She looked back at Leon as he waved off the corviknight and the taxi driver. “It’s amazing how you can travel all over the world, but always find a slice of home in your destination!” 

“I’ve never been out of the Galar region, so I’ll just have to take your word on it!” Leon answered, returning her smile. 

“Oh… I suppose Kanto is a bit unique since Sinnoh and Johto are so close.” She bit her lip as she thought about it. “Well, you’ll just have to visit me in Kanto sometime! It’s not as flashy as Galar, but there are plenty of sights to see!”

Leon blinked a few times as Gray gave him a huge smile. He nodded vigorously before rushing ahead, hoping she didn’t see his blush. She was just so innocent and happy sometimes. He supposed that’s how he seemed to the rest of the world as well. A fierce opponent who isn’t all that fierce outside of battle.

“Leon! Gray! There you two are!” 

They looked to see Hop and Victor jogging towards them. Red and Blue were trailing behind them, the latter of whom looked a little annoyed. Probably because he had to talk to Hop without her there to  _ do _ most of the talking for him, if she had to guess. 

“Hey, Hop!” Leon called to his brother. “Congrats on the win! I knew you could do it!”

“Thanks!” Hop said. He high fived his brother once he get close enough. “You better watch out ‘cause this puts me one badge closer to taking your title!” 

Gray laughed as agreed with Hop, sticking her tongue out at Leon when he pouted. 

“Yo, Gray,” Blue called. He and Red had finally arrived next to the small group, having declined to run like the two younger trainers. “What’s with the apple?” 

Gray looked down at the applin asleep in her arms. “This is my new daughter, applin!” 

She held her out to the gym leader, who merely looked down at it curiously. He got a bit closer before applin woke up. She clearly didn’t like having a face so close to her as she reared back and slammed into Blue’s head full force. 

He jumped back, cursing at the small pokemon chittering at him from her mother’s hands. 

Gray nodded happily as she looked at her childhood friend. “That means she likes you!” 

Hop, Victor, and Leon all watched helplessly as Blue yelled at Gray for a seemingly extreme amount of time for what had happened, but Leon supposed Gray ignoring almost everything Blue was saying was not helping matters in the slightest. 

Victor looked at Red after a few more moments of one-sided bickering. “Are they always like this?” 

Red nodded with an exasperated look. His pikachu let out a small ‘pika!’ of confirmation as well. “Ever since they were kids. And everyone thinks Blue and  _ I  _ are bad.” 

Even Gray’s arcanine seemed to get bored with the two’s antics as it padded over and curled up next to Leon’s feet like it had at Professor Magnolia’s house. He smiled and ran his fingers through the soft fur at the pokemon’s head. Red raised an eyebrow at this. 

“Huh, usually arcanine doesn’t warm up to people that quickly,” he said. “It took ages for him to let anyone but Gray even  _ touch _ him when she asked him.” 

Leon tilted his head, and went to respond but Hop butted in before he could, exclaiming, “Leon’s always been great with pokemon! I swear he could calm an angry drednaw no problem!” 

Leon rubbed the back of his neck at the praise. “Any trainer worth his badges is great at calming pokemon.” 

Red nodded in agreement, before turning to Blue and Gray. “I supposed I’ve let them fight long enough,” he said, changing topics. “It’s best if they get it out all at once instead of just bickering the whole day…” 

With that he stepped between them. That’s all it seemed to take to stop the fight as he said nothing, but they instantly stopped fighting. 

“Now apologize,” Red said. 

Gray grumbled a bit under her breath before rolling her eyes and facing Blue. “I’m sorry. You know I love you, you asshole.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Same to you, pipsqueak.” 

And with that, the fight was over and they seemed to go on as if nothing happened. Leon blinked a few times before pointing to the seafood restaurant nearby. 

“How ‘bout some lunch!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I'm studying abroad this coming semester, so I've been busy getting everything ready for travel! That being said, I can't guarantee how often I'll update when I'm abroad. 
> 
> Also just some notes I literally keep forgetting to mention. 
> 
> First, I am not going to name the individual pokemon on Gray's team because I struggle to remember what pokemon they were in fanfics that do that. I apologize because I feel like it kind of goes against the characterization of Gray, but it's just for ease of reading. 
> 
> Also, I do sort of know what I want this story to go in the end, but It's mostly going to just be Leon and Gray getting to know each other in the beginning part of this story. The secret with Professor Magnolia will happen much later (mostly since I really only have a vague idea of this). 
> 
> Sorry for the info dump! Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos on this piece. It means the world to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	6. Like All the Ones Before

Lunch was a rather rambunctious affair, but no one dared comment on the rather loud conversation when it was coming from a table consisting of the champion, his two endorsed competitors, and the Pallet Town Trio. Gray was once again sandwiched in between Blue and Red, but this time, she seemed to have calmed down some and was talking cheerily with everyone. Her and Leon were talking rather animatedly about who knows what while Hop would occasionally chime in. 

They were just about finished eating when the doors to the restaurant opened and in walked a man wearing probably the most ‘middle-aged man trying to look hip with the kids’ outfit gray had ever seen. Behind him, a pretty woman wearing a red shirt and a lab coat followed, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. 

Leon groaned quietly once he saw who had entered, but put on his best champion smile as he rose to greet the chairman. 

“Chairman Rose! It’s nice to see you!” he exclaimed, acting oblivious to the dozens of unanswered voicemails on his Rotom Phone. 

“Ah, Leon!” Rose said with an equally large grin. Gray noticed that it seemed rather insincere, however. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for quite a while now! What a coincidence that I’ve run into you here!”

“Oh, that would be my fault,” Gray chimed in. She stood now from her seat and extended her hand towards the man. “I’m Gray Cypress. Leon was showing me around the Wild Areas.” 

Rose’s eyes trailed from her outstretched hand up to her face, before slowing giving her a once over. His smile never faltered, but the look still gave Gray the creeps. 

“I’m quite familiar with who you and your companions are, Miss Cypress! It’s not so often that someone clings to the title of champion for so long—especially someone like you in a place like in Kanto.” 

Gray’s eyes narrowed at his words, her almost ever present smile dropping from her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Blue beat her to the punch.

“‘Ey, what the hell is that supposed to mean?” he ground out. Only him and Red were allowed to pick on or insult Gray. Not random people. _ Especially _ not some random old man. 

“I mean it as no insult, Mr. Oak!” Rose said, waving his hand placatingly. “It’s just that your League sees so much more traffic than others, and Miss Cypress is such an unassuming young girl.” 

There was silence as the three Kanto trainers stared at Rose, trying to assess whether or not they believed him. Leon glanced between the two before trying to break the tension. 

“Gray, Red, Blue, this is Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos, the main provider of energy to the Galar Region, and his assistant, Oleana” Leon said. His smile was still on his face, but by now even Hop—who never felt unsure—was starting to grow uneasy with the tension in the air. Leon just kept pretending it didn’t exist, though. 

“Pleasure to meet you,” Gray muttered. She threw some money down on the table before giving Hop and Victor a rather large smile. “Good luck at your next gym! I’ll try to make it!” 

And with that, she left the restaurant. 

* * *

When Hop, Victor, Red, and Blue left the restaurant, they found Gray sitting on a bench a little ways down from the restaurant. She looked up when they approached, and arcanine gave the two older trainers a slight nod. 

“Hey, Gray, you alright?” Hop asked once they were next to her. He sat beside her on the bench, absentmindedly kicking his legs. 

She gave him a beaming smile and nodded. “Of course! I’m used to comments like that!” Her smile faltered slightly. “People don’t really take me seriously once they see me…” Before anyone could continue with the conversation, she changed the subject. “Where’s Leon?”

“Chairman Rose wanted to speak with him,” Victor said. He took a seat on the other side of Gray, giving her a small smile as he did. “Said it was important League business.” 

“It’s always ‘important League business’ with those types,” Blue huffed. Considering the three of them had been working in the Kanto League since they were barely teens, they were used to the bureaucratic nonsense that goes on. “They just don’t want to wait their turn going through the official channels.” 

“Though it’s strange he’s so insistent on Leon specifically,” Red said. 

“Well, there’s no Elite Four to pester,” Blue threw back. “They just have gym leaders and then the champion.” 

“It doesn’t much matter,” Gray finally cut in. “The guys a capitalistic jerk. Nothing we haven’t seen before.”

“But the Chairman is loved across the region!” Hop cut in. He was frowning slightly, as if things weren’t quite fitting together in his head. “People love him! I don’t get why he was rude… and what he wants with Lee…” 

“I’m sure it’s nothing important,” Gray said. She patted his hand. “Sorry for being so mean. I suppose I shouldn’t have said that outloud. The three of us have just… dealt with a lot of bad people in positions of power.”

“Like Team Rocket?” Victor asked. 

Gray pursed her lips. “Among others. But that’s all in the past. I’m sure the chairman meant no harm. I just overreacted.”

The conversation died down, but they continued to hang around, waiting for Leon to emerge from the restaurant. Thirty minutes passed before Hop’s Rotom Phone beeped. 

“Oh, it’s from Lee!” he cheered. His face instantly sobered as he read the message. “He says not to wait up for him. The chairman and him need to go to Hammerlocke to discuss something. But he says he’ll try to see us at Motostoke Stadium.”

Hop looked disappointed that his brother wasn’t going to see him off, but Gray gave him a rather hearty pat on the back. When he looked at her, she gave him a blinding smile. Even Blue and Red came forward to place comforting hands on his shoulder. 

They would see him off in Leon’s place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... it's been a while lmao. I am currently studying abroad (which is a blast) so I might be inconsistent in uploads, but just know I am still passionate about this story.


	7. The Looming Dark

Gray waved excitedly from where she stood at the edge of Hulbury. Blue and Red were beside her, waving a little less enthusiastically. Hop’s grin was almost as wide as his face as he waved back at them—beside him, Victor was giving the three trainers a smaller, but still bright smile. 

Once they were out of sight, Gray dropped her arm and looked at her two companions. Red gave her a slight nod, no words needed, and they retreated to a less populated spot in town. She had caught sight of Leon and the Chairman leaving the restaurant while Hop was excitedly talking about his team before setting off, and made eye contact with Leon as the Champion climbed into the flying taxi. Despite only knowing him for a short while, she could see something off in the look he gave her.

Something wasn’t right. 

Once they were alone, Gray pursed her lips and exhaled a long breath. “Do you think…?”

Blue looked at her with a raised brow. “That Rose knows? Or has something to do with it?” 

“I doubt he has anything to do with this mess,” Red threw in. He was leaning up against a nearby wall, his hat drawn over his eyes, but Gray could see the pensive look on his face. “But he might know something that could help us.”

“How? We’ve been to every region! Galar is the only one who doesn’t know for sure if it has any local legendaries,” Gray huffed. “He doesn’t seem smart enough to have found something that even the _ Professor _hasn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter if he knows,” Blue said. “As long as Magnolia knows what’s going on.” He let out a breath. “I knew we should have done Alola last… I like that place best.” 

“The League already hates that we’ve been away for so long…” Red muttered. “I don’t know if we can reasonably stay out of Kanto much longer.” 

“Once we go back… We run the risk of everything being exposed,” Gray said. They all already knew this, but hearing it helped strengthen her resolve. Unconsciously, her hand fell to one of the pokeballs at her hip, which thrummed slightly in acknowledgement. “We can’t have that kind of panic. It’ll just make everything worse.”

Red and Blue watched the movement before their own hands followed suit to their own hips. 

“We just need to hold steady and keep our heads up,” she finally said, giving her childhood friends a definitive nod. 

* * *

Blue, Red, and Gray decided to split up. Professor Magnolia had called them shortly after their conversation, asking to meet one of them in Hammerlocke to talk about a potential breakthrough in their investigation. She also told them that Sonia might have some info for them at Stow-on-Side. They decided that Red and Blue would go to Stow-on-Side while Gray went to Hammerlocke.

The town… was rather impressive. Compared to the rather modest towns and cities in Kanto, the looming castle-like structure that was the gym was utterly jaw-dropping. That’s how the professor found her, mouth agape, staring at the building. 

The old woman chuckled quietly as she approached the young girl, giving her a warm smile. “Impressive, isn’t it?” 

Gray blinked a few times, giving her a large grin. She almost released arcanine as her pokemon had grown rather fond of the professor, but remembered that they were probably going to be going inside a building. They were less fond of having a large fire dog inside their buildings than Gray was (and most people let her in Kanto since she’s their darling champion). 

“It really is,” she said. She glanced up at the building one last time before turning fully toward the professor. “What is it you wanted to tell me?”

The professor chuckled. “Always right to the point, you kids are.” Gray blinked a few times, but the professor continued. “Well, I suppose the situation calls for a bit of urgency, so I let it slide just once.”

“Uh.. thanks?” Gray said, rubbing the back of her head. 

Magnolia smiled and waved at the building. “Underneath the gym is the main power plant for the Galar region. It runs mainly on wishing pieces—the same energy that powers dynamaxing.” She waved at the bracelet on Gray’s arm, causing her to glance at her mega evolution band. “Unlike mega evolution, dynamaxing cannot happen anywhere. Wishing pieces contain the energy necessary for allowing the phenomenon.”

“Galar doesn’t run on sustainable energy?” Gray asked, tilting her head. Most of the region had made the switch years ago. Kanto used a mix of electric pokemon and hydroelectric power to light the region. 

“Unfortunately, no. People are so stuck in their ways that change can be scary.” 

“Hmm.”

“But the energy supply of Galar is not why I brought you here,” Magnolia continued. “I’ve been studying dynamaxing my entire career. I invented the dynamax band, in fact. I think, now, I am coming ever closer to understanding what is causing the phenomenon. 

“There’s been strange occurrences these past few weeks. Strange spikes in dynamax energy where it shouldn’t be. I think something is happening.” 

Gray’s head snapped to Magnolia, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you think it has anything to do with what we told you?” 

Gray looked around at the people milling about—she couldn’t just say what she was thinking. 

“Yes and no.” There was a pregnant pause. “I think that it has something to do with a very strong pokemon. But it might not be directly caused by our little problem.”

“But it will be if you’re right,” Gray said. She ran a hand through her hair distractedly, glancing up at the large building. This was all such a mess…

“Hey, Prof! What’s up?” a voice called from a little ways to the left. 

Gray glanced over to see a rather tall man approaching the Professor with an easy grin on his face. His Rotom Phone was hovering near his head, taking… selfies? 

“Ah, Raihan,” Magnolia said with a smile. “How are you? Are the issues with your band all better?” 

“Of course,” he said, his grin turning into a smirk. “All thanks to you of course.” Then his eyes landed on Gray. “Who’s this, Prof? Fresh meat?” 

Gray raised an eyebrow at this. His name was vaguely familiar. She was pretty sure he was the gym leader here in Hammerlocke. A strong one if she was correct. She stuck out her hand, her own grin now spreading across her face, her earlier worry almost forgotten. “Gray Cypress. Champion of Kanto.” 

Raihan’s eyebrows shot up at this, but he quickly recovered, shaking her hand with all the confidence in the world. “Not fresh meat then,” he said with a slight laugh.

“Not quite,” Gray agreed. 

Raihan paused for a second, as if remembering something. “Huh, I think Leon mentioned you when I asked why he was ditching Rose. Bugger went after me when he couldn’t find him.” 

“Guilty.” 

“Raihan,” Magnolia cut in, “have you been getting the readings I asked you to do?”

“Course,” he said. He handed her a small device, which she glanced over. Gray could tell by her face that it was nothing good. 

“Thank you, my boy,” she finally said. 

Raihan looked interested, but didn’t comment on the strange behavior. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of plot. Don't worry, Leon will be returning soon!


	8. Calming the Nerves

After a pregnant pause, Professor Magnolia asked Raihan to show Gray and her the tapestries in the Hammerlocke Vault. He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question the professor as he led them to a smaller door on the side of the impressive castle. 

She talked to Raihan as they walked. He was excited to hear that she personally knew Dragon Tamer Lance—he tried to act like he wasn’t excited when she handed him an autographed photo of him. Lance had given it to her as a gag gift a few years ago, saying that it’ll be worth more once he beat her and became champion once again. 

Like that would happen, she thought. 

When they entered, Gray looked at the tapestries with a frown. The sky was black, red rippling through the shadows to cascade over the earth. Two people stood against the storm, a sword and a shield raised high above their heads. The events depicted looked like nothing a normal pokemon could create. It reminded her of Sinnoh’s legendaries in the sheer power it exuded. She thought back to the whispers of a pokemon that lived in shadows and controlled nightmares. It didn’t exactly match, but it was similar. 

“These show the events known as the Darkest Day—a day in which all of Galar was almost destroyed,” Professor Magnolia said. 

Gray glanced at her, watching her profile as she gazed at the tapestries. Behind her, Raihan watched in curiosity with a touch of boredom, his Rotom Phone fluttering around his head excitedly, the shutter clicking away. 

The professor turned to her. “What do you think?” 

“I think we better hope that whatever happened then doesn’t happen again before we solve this problem.” 

* * *

Gray was walking through the Wild Area, trying to clear her head. Applin was back in her arms, happy to be cuddled once again. Arcanine was trailing behind her, eyes sharp. Gray herself didn’t take in much of the scenery as it passed by, too lost in her thoughts to even see the world around her. 

It felt like she wasn’t any closer to her goal than before, and they were running out of time. Pursing her lips, she placed applin on her shoulder and took her backpack from her back. Glancing inside, she saw the smooth top of the strange pokeball that was given to her before she left. She gently pulled out the purple ball, her eyes glued to the ‘M’ engraved on top. 

She could end it before it even began. 

But she didn’t think she could do it. There was so much hate in its heart; it felt wrong to trap it in such a way. 

“Gray, are you alright?” 

She nearly dropped the ball, her hands clutching it tightly to her chest to hide it from prying eyes. Shoving the ball back into her bag and spinning around in the same movement, she locked eyes on Leon looking at her with concern. She glanced around for her pokemon, wondering why he hadn’t warned her of the approaching man. She spotted him some feet away. Arcanine had trotted off to play with Leon’s charizard, but she was so caught up in her own thoughts, she hadn’t even noticed.

Gray gave Leon a strained smile, wondering how he managed to find her. “I’m fine, Leon.” 

Leon blinked, and she realized she may have said it a bit more forcefully than she meant to. It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself rather than him. Gray took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she gave him a small smile. 

“I’m just stressed, you know? A lot of people are depending on me…” She trailed off. She didn’t know how to say more without giving herself away. 

“I understand,” Leon answered. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I was out here to think after my talk with the Chairman. I take it you’re out here for similar reasons?”

Gray nodded. She placed her hand on top of his. His gold eyes shone with a gentle sadness, one that she hadn’t noticed before. Perhaps he wasn’t as happy as she thought he was. Maybe it was lonely, being put on a pedestal like he was. 

Like she was. 

She withdrew before letting out a low whistle. Arcanine’s ears perked up before he came bounding up to her side. Charizard followed behind lazily, stopping next to Leon. Applin rolled down her shoulder and landed in her arms, chirping at her. 

She smiled. “Want to have lunch?” 

* * *

Making lunch was a bit hectic, both of them getting distracted several times, the food almost burning. Leon let her take the reins, saying he wasn’t the best at making food. She didn’t comment, just softly telling him what to do occasionally. 

Leon had mentioned that curry was the main dish of Galar, but she wasn’t the  _ biggest _ fan of curry, so she made a simple stir fry instead. As Gray began to serve the food, she grabbed the pokeballs from her hips. The motion did not go unnoticed by Leon, who gave a smile and grabbed his pokeballs as well. 

At the same time, they let their pokemon out, both immediately scoping out the other’s team. She was quite impressed with Leon’s team, some of which, specifically the ghostly lizard that she assumed was from Galar, she didn’t know that much about. 

She gazed over her own. All looked quite comfortable, despite the unfamiliar pokemon. Her gengar was teetering over towards Leon’s pokemon, to which she gave a sharp, “no!” in response. The rest of her pokemon—a venusaur, alakazam, and pidgeot—just looked at the food. 

Leon let out a low whistle. “That’s quite the team you got!” Then his brow furrowed. “But that’s only five.” 

Gray nodded, and held up another pokeball. “She’s a bit shy. She doesn’t like to come out around strangers, unless it’s a battle.” 

Leon nodded before introducing her to his team. She examined his rhyperior with interest, smiling all the while. Leon raised an eyebrow. 

“Blue used to use a rhyperior on his team. It’s with Professor Oak now, but I was alway fond of it.”

Leon nodded sagely. Then he noticed his rillaboom eating all the food and starting yelling while Gray laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp the world has gone to shit lmao. Hope everyone is safe! Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!


End file.
